Jollibee: From Filipino fast-food icon to rising star in the U.S.

While most of the top 100 restaurants with fewer than 100 locations have grown organically from the emerging brand phase to the mid-sized growth phase, Jollibee is in a unique position. Nicknamed “the McDonald’s of the Philippines,” Jollibee was an international sensation when the company first came over to North America in 1998, so it did not have to grow its U.S. business from scratch.

At first, very few Americans had heard of the quick-service chain with the happy bee logo and a menu of sweet spaghetti and fried chicken. In fact, Nick Bedell, marketing director for Jollibee, said that for many years, they mainly targeted Filipino ex-pats, immigrants, and Filipino-Americans who missed their hometown fast-food options. But recently, Jollibee’s name recognition among other American demographics has grown alongside its unit count (70-plus stores and counting).  

“In the first few decades of our time here in North America, it was really about providing the experience of Jollibee to Filipinos here in the United States, whereas now, we’re growing into more of a mainstream brand,” Bedell said. “That’s really fueled our ability to grow further, because we're not just going to places where there are a lot of Filipinos, we're going to places where there are a lot of people who want delicious fried chicken.”

The Jollibee menu is a mix of American-friendly items like burgers and fried chicken, with Filipino twists on fast food like the brand’s famous peach mango hand pie and iconic spaghetti topped with sweet sauce, hot dogs, and shredded cheese. As Jollibee continues to grow in the U.S., the company is looking to add more traditional American sides for fried chicken like biscuits and macaroni and cheese. A perfect example of this marriage of cultures is the new Aloha chicken sandwich, which tops a chicken sandwich with bacon (an American favorite) and pineapple (the Filipino twist).

“Items like that drive curiosity and intrigue in a really familiar platform [and] are a great way for us to get people to come in and try Jollibee for the first time,” Bedell said. “Hopefully, someone who enjoyed a chicken sandwich will come back to try the Chicken Joy.  … We’re trying to create many occasions for people to come in for all kinds of different meals.”

As Jollibee continues to build brand awareness and bolster its portfolio, the next step is franchising. Bedell said that the company just announced franchising opportunities in North America in June and will be looking to grow in both new and existing markets across the U.S., including cities in the Pacific Northwest like Seattle and Portland.

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